Make Your Library Mobile

“In 2009, one-third of all Americans accessed the web through a cell phone or smartphone”, according to Meredith Farkas’ article in the June/July 2010 issue of American Libraries.  With mobile devices becoming such an important means of communication, libraries need to think about how to market services to mobile users.  One way to do this is to create a mobile version of your library’s website that will enable smartphone users to view the site.  Some libraries have even created mobile applications for searching the library catalog and databases, placing holds, and contacting the library.   In today’s society, everyone wants to have information at their fingertips, and there are so many ways for libraries to tap into the world of mobile users.  Farkas asserts that “by mobilizing our library resources and services, we make ourselves accessible to patrons wherever they are, from a device that fits in their pocket.”